|
 Get
E-Mail Updates on HIV/AIDS and Women Please note: The reference numbers in the text below will take you to the reference section of the CDC fact sheet
HIV/AIDS and Women.
 Historically, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has affected more men than women, but women are being increasingly affected. Since 1985 the proportion of estimated AIDS cases diagnosed among women has more than tripled, from 8% in 1985 to 27% in 2005. And although each year more men than women become infected with HIV, this gap is slowly closing. In fact, if new HIV infections continue at their current rate worldwide, women with HIV may soon outnumber men with HIV.
The epidemic has increased most dramatically among women of color, especially
black women. In 2005, women of color accounted for 80% of all women estimated to be living with AIDS;
black women made up 62% of this total.
Most of the effects of HIV and AIDS are similar for men and women, but there are some biological and social differences. Women are more susceptible to HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse because of the large amount of vaginal mucosal exposure to seminal fluids. Certain AIDS complications are unique to women, such as recurrent vaginal yeast infections, severe pelvic inflammatory disease, and cervical cancer. Women‘s metabolic responses to antiretroviral therapy may differ from those of men. Socially, women, especially young women, may be more vulnerable because they have difficulty negotiating protective sex due to power differentials. Women infected with HIV may have more difficulty accessing health care, possibly burdened by lack of financial resources, lack of transportation, or an added responsibility of caring for others, especially children.
It is becoming more and more apparent that effectiveness of future HIV prevention efforts will depend, in part, on how well these efforts address the epidemic in women.
STATISTICS
HIV/AIDS in 2005
(The following bullets, except for the last one, are based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.*)
- HIV/AIDS was diagnosed for an estimated 9,708 women [3].
- High-risk heterosexual contact was the source of 80% of these newly
diagnosed infections [3].
- Women accounted for 26% of the estimated 37,163 diagnoses for adults and
adolescents [3].
- Of the 126,964 women living with HIV/AIDS, 64% were black,
19% were white, 15% were Hispanic, 1% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and
less than 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native [3].
- The estimated number of HIV/AIDS in female adults or adolescents
decreased from 11,941 in 2001 to 9,708 in 2005 [3].
- According to a recent CDC study of more than 19,500 patients with HIV in
10 US cities, women were slightly less likely than men to receive
prescriptions for the most effective treatments for HIV infection [4].
Sex of adults and adolescents with HIV/AIDS diagnosed during 2005
Note. Based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.
Transmission categories and race/ethnicity of women living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2005
Note. Based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.
AIDS in 2005
- Of 40,608 AIDS diagnoses in the 50 states and the District of Columbia,
10,774 (26%) were for women [3].
- The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women (45.5/100,000 women) was approximately 23 times the rate for white women (2.0/100,000) and 4 times the rate for Hispanic women (11.2/100,000) [3].
- An estimated 95,959 women were living with AIDS, representing 23% of the estimated 421,873 people living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia [3].
- An estimated 4,128 women with AIDS died, representing 25% of the 16,316 persons with AIDS who died in the 50 states and the District of Columbia [3].
- From the beginning of the epidemic (1981) through 2005, women accounted for
181,802 diagnoses, a number that represents 19% of the 952,629 AIDS diagnoses in the 50 states and the District of Columbia during this period [3].
- From the beginning of the epidemic through 2005, an estimated 85,844 women with AIDS died, accounting for 16% of the 530,756 persons with AIDS who died in the 50 states and the District of Columbia [3].
- Women with AIDS made up an increasing part of the epidemic. In 1992, women accounted for an estimated 14% of adults and adolescents living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia [5]. By the end of 2005, this proportion had grown to 23% [3].
- Data from the 2005 census show that together, black and Hispanic women represent 24% of all US women [6]. However, women in these 2 groups accounted for 82% (8,807/10,774) of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005 [3].
Race/ethnicity of women with HIV/AIDS diagnosed during 2005
Note. Based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.
|
